Manipuri Marriage System: A study of Goudia Vaishnavism Manipuris in Barak Valley

Abstract

Barak Valley is located in the southern most part of the state of Assam. It comprises the present three districts of Assam, namely, Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi. Various causes and circumstances intervened in the Manipuri settlement in the Barak Valley that took place in different periods of History. Therefore it can be rightly mention that due to many factors, the Manipuri people in Barak Valley migrated from their native land Manipur and settled in this Valley in different period. At present there are about 195 Manipuri villages in the Valley. They are settled in different parts of the Valley about the population of 2.5 lacs above (approx). They have been preserving and maintaining their distinctive Socio-cultural identity.

Marriage is in many respects, the important social institution in every society be it primitive or civilized. Each  society has its own marriage system. Manipuri societies of the Barak Valley also have their own elaborate marriage system. For them marriage means the sacred and ceremonial of the woman with a man with the proper religious rites. In Manipuri society, the term marriage is known as “Luhongba” which is a synthesis of two words- “Lu” and “Hongba”. The term “Lu” means “Head” and “Hongba” means “Change”. In this term meaning is that the girls’ surname, clan and tradition change to the male tradition.The Manipuris of Barak Valley basically perform their marriage ceremonies according to the Hindu religion of Goudia Vaishnavism. But they are still practices of their traditional marriage system.. In this paper I try to analyse the marriage system of Goudia Vaishnavism Manipuri in the Barak Valley